EWS promises dramatic return to racing in Zermatt
Rain soaks Canadians on practice day in Switzerland as international enduro racing resumes
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GT Bicycles
The Enduro World Series makes a dramatic return this weekend, against the stunning backdrop of Zermatt, Switzerland. Under the watchful eye of the Matterhorn, EWS is kicking off a revised Fall international racing calendar. It is the first major series to resume racing, with the World Cup downhill and cross country set to follow shortly.
Zermatt was the final race in the 2019 EWS series. With the revised race calendar, due to the COVID pandemic, the enduro series picks up exactly where it left off, back in the scenic Swiss venue.
A strong Canadian contingent is in Zermatt to contest the first enduro of 2020. Many have dragged brand new bikes with them on the journey across the ocean. Miranda Miller and Rhys Verner, Kona’s two Squamish, B.C. riders, are on the new Kona Process 153 CR DL. Rocky Mountain Race Face Enduro Team’s triple threat of Jesse Melamed, Andréane Lanthier Nadeau and Remy Gauvin are all in Switzerland. All three are racing the same digi-camouflaged bike they raced at much of the Crankworx Summer Series.
RELATED: Revised 2020 Fall international racing calendar
Lanthier Nadeau’s return to international racing is off to a rocky restart. A crash in practice left the Canadian with multiple stitches and abrasions. After sitting out a day, ALN was back on the bike for Saturday’s rainy practice day.
COVID casts its shadow: Sam Hill staying home.
While racing is resuming safely, not every country is as far along in recovery as Europe. Australian Sam Hill, the reigning EWS champion from 2019, is not in Zermatt this weekend. The difficulty and risk of international travel is not equal for every rider, and Hill decided to remain at home in Australia. Kona’s Australian Connor Fearon made the same decision, as did Vancouver Island’s McKay Vezina. Several American’s, including former EWS champ Richie Rude, are also absent from the startlist in Switzerland.
Of course, it’s not just the Matterhorn that looms over Zermatt this year. The UCI’s procedures for safe mountain bike racing under COVID are getting their first major test in Switzerland. The first test is already resolved, it seems, after three support staff were temporarily quarantined. One individual showed worrying symptoms, leading to that person’s quarantine, as well as two others who had been in close contact. All three returned negative PCR tests, and have returned to the athlete and staff racing bubble.
While practice for the EWS takes place Saturday, with racing to follow on Sunday, racing is already well underway. The new highly-charged EWS-E made its debut in Zermatt on Friday. A strong cast of current and former enduro riders took to the start. High profile riders included Fabien Barel, Tracy Moseley, and Nico Vouilloz. The new format, which includes both technical uphill and more traditional downhill timed stages, now has Melanie Pugin and Yannick Pontal is its first winners.
EWS-E Debuts in Zermatt – One Minute Highlights
While you wait for the human-powered EWS racing to get underway, get reacquainted with the riders of the Enduro World Series courtesy of the Gowaan Girls. The two UK riders quiz the top riders, including Lanthier Nadeau and Miller as well as Eddie Masters, Cecile Ravanell and Isabeau Courdurier.
